Apple Leaks Camera-Equipped AirPods Video in macOS Tahoe Release
Apple left a demo video of its camera-equipped AirPods inside the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate, and MacRumors found it. The 13-second clip shows a man asking Siri to remember a book, with the earbuds capturing the title through their camera.
September Launch Expected
According to MacRumors, the camera feeds information to Visual Intelligence, allowing Siri to answer questions about the wearer’s surroundings. John Gruber, writing at Daring Fireball, summed up the situation with one word: "Oops."
What’s New in the Earbuds?
- Visual Intelligence: The camera feeds information to this feature, enabling Siri to log what it sees.
- Hair Coverage Alert: A software string warns against covering the earbuds with hair to ensure accurate environmental data.
- Codename: The product carries the codename B790, as reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Analysts Weigh In
- M.G. Siegler argues that these are Apple’s first true AI wearables, striking for their lack of a phone. He suggests that Apple is testing the waters with earbuds before moving on to smart glasses.
- Tom Bedford of TechRadar disagrees, predicting a possible lose-lose scenario. He believes the privacy revolt against always-watching devices has already ended, and that these earbuds could either fail or normalize the category.